The late-glacial sequence of Les Etelles (Northern French Alps): Climate instability and vegetation dynamics.

A detailed pollen analysis has been conducted in a nea sedimentary sequence taken at Les Etelles (700 m), in the hill vegetation belt in the Chaine des Hurtieres (Northern French Alps). The Lateglacial history of the vegetation has been supported by 10 AMS datings, Variations in relative abundance of main pollen taxa were compared with variations in delta O-18 in Swiss lacustrine sediments and with the GRIP ice-core record. Those highlight how the vegetation reacted to minor climatic oscillations. The Lateglacial spread of Quercus, Alnus and Corylus in the region is confirmed. thus allowing a new interpretation of some Lateglacial sedimentary sequences at an adjacent region (Bas-Dauphine), (C) 2001 Academie des sciences/Editions scientifiques et medicales Elsevier SAS.